9 Things Sweden Does Better Than America

It seems like every week brings a new story about how great life is in Sweden, like six-hour workdays and generous parental-leave policies. On top of that, the country is also responsible for edgy design, organic beauty products, and engrossing paperback thrillers. These are some of the things Swedes just do better.
This gallery was originally published in 2015. It has been updated with new information.

Alamy

Fika

Every day around 11 a.m., work in offices all over Sweden come to a halt as locals partake in the custom of fika, a late-morning coffee paired with sweet treats like cinnamon rolls and cardamom buns. Even the busiest worker will stop and take a break for this traditional indulgence, which is a nice reminder that it can be valuable to step back and think. Also, cardamom buns are delicious.

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Style and Design

Forget Ikea. There's something about that unmistakable minimalist, elegant Swedish look, whether it's chunky knits and geometric jewelry from brands like Acne, & Other Stories, and Filippa K, or clever, brightly-patterned home goods that hint at the sense of humor lurking behind that cool Scandinavian exterior.

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Pop Music

There's something about Sweden (maybe the crystal-clear water?) that grows great pop stars: Robyn, Lykke Li, Avicii, and The Knife all hail from the small Scandinavian land, as has behind-the-scenes the producer Max Martin, who has worked on hits from stars like Katy Perry and Britney Spears. It probably explains why Swedish artists have won so many Eurovision Song Contests.

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Saunas

It's not only the Finns who love a good shvitz. The sauna (bastu in Swedish) is a necessary amenity in a country with long, cold winters. To do a proper Swedish-style bastu, strip down (nudity is no big deal here, but you can wear a swimsuit if you're uncomfortable), sweat for a while in the sauna, then jump into a freezing cold lake. It also helps to have a beer afterward (or before).

Beauty

Sweden's green-living ethos isn't just about riding bikes to work. Many of the company's freshest exports are natural beauty products, like organic skin care line Estelle & Thild and bath-and-body range Kerstin Florian leading the way. Upscale fragrance line Byredo has won fans well beyond Sweden's borders.

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Noir Pop Culture

Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy, better known in the U.S. as the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series, was a mainstream crossover for the dark, goth-inspired noir books and films (director Ingmar Bergman set the standard with works like The Seventh Seal) that have long been a staple of Scandinavian culture. Fans of the genre should also check out Henning Mankell's Wallander series (which later became a TV show) and Camilla Läckberg's best-selling crime novels like The Ice Princess.

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Gender Equality

According to U.S. News & World Report's annual "Best Countries" index, Sweden is the best country in the world for women. In addition to those generous parental-leave policies we mentioned earlier, Sweden in 1998 passed an amendment stipulating that schools "work against" gender stereotyping—and it seems to have paid off. The country has seen success with its gender-neutral schools, and nearly two-thirds of all university degrees are awarded to women. Professionally, Sweden has one of the world’s highest representations of women in parliament—five women were first elected in 1922—and as of 2015, 82 women and 90 men were heads of Sweden’s top government agencies.